I did some research about airlines refunding the difference between the price paid for a ticket and the difference if the airline later drops the price on that flight. (See my October 17 entry about Yapta.com.)

Turns out that this is not consistent among airlines. Some do it and others don't. And some, such as Delta and American, will charge you a fee just as they would if you were to change your ticket. That charge is usually $100 on domestic flights and about double or triple that on overseas flights.

There are exceptions: Northwest charges $25 while United, US Airways, and JetBlue don't charge.

Many times you won't get your money refunded in cash but as a voucher for future use. I did not see any information on how long these vouchers last and no doubt that varies from airline to airline and from time to time.

NOTE: don't believe everything you see in this article. What I have written here is what I found on the internet and none of it is from the airlines' own websites. I could not find anything on their websites about this topic but admittedly I only checked three of them by entering the word "refund" in their search boxes . . . I find dealing with airlines more dismal than dealing with government regulations. However, as I have noted in previous blog entries, JetBlue is one of the best airlines to deal with.

And it probably goes without saying in any conversation about airlines, nothing is consistent even within the same company. One person will give you one answer and another person at the same airline will tell you something different. The best thing to do is to make an inquiry if you find out that tickets on your flight are being sold for less than you paid. I'm still surprised when a polite and friendly phone call will get me a discount or adjustment. Give it a try and let me know how this works for you.